For me it’s more about buying handmade pottery from a potteras over ½ of my shows are not at what I would consider local. Out of my 9 Art shows4 are out of state 2 are in state but over 6 hours away one way. So the localdoes not ring true. I do have 3 local retail outlets that use the local potteryslant for sales and that does work well but one gallery is in another county(Mendocino).

Support a potter or buy handmade pottery seems to fit what Ido better. At least ½ my sales come from out of my county. Support your localpotter sticker is on my van but does not always mean what it says.

Tough because it is very expensive to rent space or own land anywhere in the valley/region. While there is a lot of commercial space available due to the downturn in the economy and overbuilding when times were "good", prices don't reflect the glut. Most folks can't afford the acreage it requires to have an outdoor kiln and many subdivisions here have covenants that prevent open fires/fire and/or businesses being operated from residences/etc. If they don't, our county has a restriction that prohibits home-based businesses that takes care of anyone else.

Easy because we have a revolving door of customers. Due to this, we have 2 Summer-long markets...one in Minturn on saturdays...and one in Vail on Sundays. These markets draw thousands of (different) folks weekly....all Summer long.....and "locals" receive preference on booth space so it remains a "local" market even if the clientele isn't 100% "local"

http://www.minturnmarket.org/ <<<<<<there's also a Winter Market in December. COLD....but sales are usuallly good due to the proximity to the Holidaze.

It's not hard to respect a valid opinion!Your input has made me think twice about widening the aims of the project to be most inclusive.

Chris, I think the aims of your project have been very well-tuned from the beginning. Anyone who visits the BUY Local Pottery facebook page can see your emphasis is on handmade and quality, plus the message "these potters are everywhere, there's one near you." I got a few new facebook fans because of this. It's working!

What I said earlier in this thread was not that I thought you were sending a wrong message, but that I was worried other potters would take the phrase "buy local" and attach meanings that weren't true. Like buying local pottery is socially responsible, or that potters need charity in order to survive. Or that we potters should stop selling outside our hometown.

Once while on vacation in Maine, I bought two pots that were locally made. I felt good about them at the time, but now those pots are in the back of my cupboard, because they really aren't very good pots. So to anyone who wears a "local" badge when selling to neighbors, or selling to tourists who visit your area, don't forget to put quality first! Otherwise, those customers might conclude "maybe there aren't good potters in that part of Maine."

Next weekend I'm selling as local as I can ... an art festival that is literally down the street from my house. I plan to post an "I'm your neighbor" sign in my booth. This festival is only in its second year, so I'm not expecting record sales. I'm hoping to show my neighbors that I'm here, maybe they will want to walk over to my open house in December (where I do expect big sales).

"It's not hard to respect a valid opinion!Your input has made me think twice about widening the aims of the project to be most inclusive."

What I mean is it has made me include the concept of buy from a local gallery, buy from a local craft show .... my first focus on buy from a local potter was too narrow and I appreciate that aspect being pointed out so early in the game. It gives me room to change which is good. I know my local gallery owners and it isn't fair to leave them out of the loop.

"What I said earlier in this thread was not that I thought you were sending a wrong message, but that I was worried other potters would take the phrase "buy local" and attach meanings that weren't true. Like buying local pottery is socially responsible, or that potters need charity in order to survive. Or that we potters should stop selling outside our hometown."

People getting all dogmatic and "Greenwashing"is something I cannot control.

We have to sell wherever our wares sell. There are the fortunate potters who are producing exactly what their neighbors want and can survive on the 60 miles from your studio theory. Others live in areas with a changing tourist population which is great for sales. But most of the potters I know have to do it all ... local, distant galleries, craft shows, Internet ... the whole nine yards. The more people I can drive to their doorsteps, the better their profit margin will be. Hmmm ... wonder where I got that info on earning a living .....

Chris Campbell

Contemporary Fine Colored Porcelain
www.ccpottery.com

TRY ... FAIL ... LEARN ... REPEAT

" ... If a sufficient number of people are different, no one has to be normal"
Fredrick Bachman